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Springdale Farm, new kid on the East Austin block, is bursting with tomatoes
Within one square mile off East Seventh Street in East Austin, you’ll find four urban farms. Almost 20 years ago, Carol Ann Sayle and Larry Butler paved the way with Boggy Creek, and in the past three years, Rain Lily, HausBar and now Springdale farms have followed.
But the farms and the farmers who run them aren’t just geographically close. Paula and Glenn Foore, who planted the first seeds at Springdale Farm in January of 2008, say their neighbors have been nothing but supportive as they’ve cultivated their 5 acres in the past year and a half.
“Dorsey (Barger of HausBar) will send an e-mail to all of us, ‘What are you all doing about these effing leaf-footed bugs?’,” Paula Foore told me earlier this week while we cooled off in the air-conditioned office that doubles as a farm stand on particularly hot Saturdays and Wednesdays.
In addition to their community-supported agriculture program, the Foores, who recently hosted a Dai Due Supper Club dinner, have started selling directly to chefs around town, and they just added the Wednesday farm stand this week to unload the hundreds of heirloom tomatoes that seemed to ripen simultaneously.
(The farm stand, 755 Springdale Road, is open from around 9 a.m. to at least 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Wednesdays, and you can check on their website to find out what they’ll likely be selling each week.)
It was great to get to know Paula and Glenn this week. They are great additions to the local food scene, and like their fellow East Austin farmers and in the true Austin spirit, have decided to chose community over competition.
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By Judy Hayes
June 22, 2010 8:28 AM | Link to this
Our family has been fortunate enough to enjoy Springdale Farms’ abundant and amazing produce since November ‘09. Each crop is screaming material. Every Monday we unload our bag of freshly picked veggies, eggs and flowers as though we were unwrapping a newborn in swaddling clothes, but not until after we read the weekly letter Paula includes with our goods. She thoughtfully shares news about the current crop, progress on future plantings, stories such as invaders in the chicken coop and delicious recipes to try. Paula and Glenn are truly sharing a piece of their heart through their farm. Cheers to Springdale Farm!
By kunde
May 8, 2011 1:22 PM | Link to this
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